STEVE ANDREAS
Changing Levels of Meaning and Experience*
©2002
Our inner experiencing shifts rapidly and unconsciously between many
different levels, whether we are demonstrating our greatest skills, or feeling
trapped in our most frustrating problems. This fresh understanding of logical
levels begins with a simple, yet crucial fundamental distinction that previous
descriptions (including Bateson’s) missed entirely. This key distinction unlocks
confusing and complex problems, revealing their simplicity, and provides clear
choices about when, how, in what sequence, and which methods to use to
intervene.
When the standard change methods don’t work with persistent life
issues, that is often a good indication that we need to work on a different level.
With many beliefs, it can be useful to go up a level and work to loosen the
higher level certainty that locks in the belief. However, at other times it is more
useful to drop down to a lower level. Higher levels can affect lower levels, but
lower levels also affect higher levels–sometimes simultaneously–and in many
different ways.
While logical levels may sound complicated, you’ll find that simple and
clear distinctions make it easy for anyone to recognize and make use of them
to understand the structure of otherwise perplexing situations. Through guided
self-discovery exercises, demonstrations, cartoons, changework exercises, and
discussion, you will learn how to:
— Track and navigate the shifting levels of
experiencing in yourself and others, to discover the levels
involved in a problem or skill.
— Understand how different levels are useful in
different ways, and how to utilize their strengths and
avoid their weaknesses.
— Determine the best level, or sequence of levels,
for making changes, in order to choose how to work most
effectively.
— Use the lens of logical levels to understand the
17 different patterns of reframing, and the kind of shift in
understanding that each one makes. (Since the patterns
of Reframing are the same as the patterns of humor and
creativity, we will use cartoons to illustrate the different
patterns.)
— Use logical level shifts, recursion, and paradox
to weaken the certainty about problem beliefs. (See
article: “Certainty and Uncertainty”)
— Understand how either/or digital beliefs are
severely limiting in almost all contexts, and how to
transform them into more changeable and useful analog
understandings.
— Loosen rigid judgements, which are a key
obstacle to effective problem-solving in so many
difficulties in relationships.
— Recognize the troublesome self-reference and
paradox that is so often hidden in everyday conversation,
such as “I make bad decisions,” which is itself an
expression of a decision.
— Recognize the limitations of hierarchical
thinking, and that logical levels do not always include a
hierarchy of control.
— Examine spiritual/mystical experiences and
practice to determine which levels are included/excluded.
— Review some of the understandings (and
misunderstandings) of Robert Dilts’ content-based
“neurological levels” and Michael Hall’s global “meta-
states.” (This practical workshop goes FAR beyond
these.)
*This workshop was created and designed by Steve Andreas and Charles
Faulkner.
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